wondering if i can carry on feeding

[bleary]

my first post because i'm feelin lonely with the breastfeedin. of my friends i'm the only one still breastfeedin - ds is 9 months and i'm back at work for three days a week, expressing like mad (in the loos)...really want to carry on but am feeling quite wiped out. and all the hormones don't seem to help.

also not sure about whether to carry on feeding at night. HV says he doesn't need dream feed at 10.30 and he should be sleeping through the night, but i think he does (maybe not for hunger, but for comfort). but then i'm SO tired. and keep flipfloppin all over the place with what to do.

i know there aren't any fixed answers, but your experiences would be helpful.

My ds is 14mths and still feeds at night. The tiredness only improved for me when I stoppped getting up to feed him and brought him into my bed!

It is really hard when you don't know anyone else in the same boat isn't it?

Good going bleary. Check your iron levels in case you need a boost. Your little one will be getting all the immunity benefit of breastmilk which will help you out if he's at creche or just in general.

I bf my ds at night & if your baby needs this then go for it - you know better than your hv.

best wishes xxx

Hi Bleary. Glad it's not just me. DD is 5 months and will be going to nursery 3 days from next month. Hopefully will be giving her expressed milk while she is there. I intend to carry on bf until 12 months and def. need the encouragement. DD has NEVER slept
through the night and have just had a weep to myself about being so bl**dy knackered.

First, well done on getting this far.
My ds is now 10 months, I had always planned to stop at 1yr but now is the time to cut down on the number of feeds (quantity decreased when solids came along) and I almost can't bear to do it! Yesterday his daddy took him off to see his great grandpa and when they came back it was lunch time so he missed his first mid morning feed for the first time, and it was quite sad that it's coming to an end. However I am sure I will stop around the 1yr mark simply beacuse I don't think it would be easy for me to wean my ds when he's much older IYSWIM. I'm half toying with the idea of replacing the day time feeds with cow's milk and also thinking of just cutting them completely. I know it's so good for him, I want to do it for as long as poss, but there's other reasons why I want to stop. Then I think if it's there why not just carry on, then I think I'm so glad I've got this far, I would be content to stop. I just can't make my mind up either. But one thing is for sure we have done well to get this far so should be proud, and if you want to stop then be confident that you've done the best you could.

I don't think this is much help, but I was glad to read you just don't know what to do, and thought I'd let you know- neither do I!

Do it for as long as it's enjoyable, as when it becomes a stress (the expressing etc) it's just not worth that. It can be so lovely, keep it just that.

Hi bleary. I keep having a crisis of faith so to speak too! DS is 10 months and I find it hard to not go with what everyone tells me. My friends are shocked I'm still breastfeeding him and are asking how I'm cutting the feeds back (which I'm not!). He doesn't sleep through the night. He used to for a couple of weeks, but the last couple he is back up - last night is was 3 times! Ignore the HV - your baby is obviously reading a different book! The same as my little one! And if a dream feed works for you, then stick with it.

As for the tiredness? I've started napping where possible during the day again. Much like Bramblina, I don't know what to do and I'm winging it all the time. I do worry that he'll never sleep through and continue to feed loads etc etc but I'm trying to let my nurturing instinct take control.

SO lovely to know i'm not the only one not being sure about what to do.

but you know what? just yesterday, i suddenly realised that i only started feeling really bad about this and really tired when the HV said he didn't need the feed, and someone else said he should be sleeping through the night by now, and someone else said i was being hard on myself by continuing to breastfeed. and then i started flicking through some books to see if there was anything else i could be doing. and then i remembered (again) that we always do best, my ds and me, when i just do what i think is right. and its such a cliche, isnt it, but its so true. the best thing you can do is to go with it and trust your instincts (ummm, a bit like being in labour). and how interesting - i don't feel so tired today.

so thank you. we all deserve a MASSIVE round of applause for doing so well so far.

xxx

Good for you Bleary! Can I suggest you find yourself a bf group to go to? I am still feeding my 23 month old DS & have days when I wonder why I am doing so, mainly because I am the only bf person I know in the village (including mums with little babies ). I go to an LLL group once a month, its a 70 mile round trip, but it keeps me sane & allows me to be myself completely & talk with people who see & do things similar to how I do.

I go to Breastfeeding Network meetings. I started going when people started saying "well I'm giving a bottle for the last feed so s/he sleeps through the night now" and was very glad I went. No LLL near me so here is the \link{http://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/\link} to the home page.